Burberry Foundation partners with Elvis & Kresse to address leather waste

By

Barbara Santamaria

Published
Oct 17, 2017

Burberry Foundation has unveiled a five-year partnership with British sustainable luxury company Elvis & Kresse to give new life to leather off-cuts.

Elvis & Kresse, which specialises in the production of luxury products made from reclaimed leather, will transform more than 120 tonnes of leather off-cuts from the production of Burberry products into a range of accessories and homeware.

The products will be designed and sold by Elvis & Kresse, with half of the proceeds going to charitable causes focused on renewable energy. The other half will be reinvested by Elvis & Kresse to expand their work in reducing and reusing waste.

The partnership shows how leather off-cuts, which are usually destroyed as they can be small and seemingly unusable, can be revalued and transformed into entirely new products. The process has an important impact on the environment, as it is estimated that at least 800,000 tonnes of leather waste are produced by the global leather industry each year.

Burberry Group president and chief creative officer Christopher Bailey said: “We are delighted to be supporting the work of Elvis & Kresse and providing them with the leather off cuts to create truly innovative products. Leather is a precious material, yet many of the off cuts generated by the design process are seen as worthless. We believe that this can change, and we are proud to lead the way in showing how creativity and craftsmanship can play a part in solving this issue.” 

Kresse Wesling, co-founder of Elvis & Kresse, added: “Elvis & Kresse was founded to rescue London’s fire hose. When we decided to tackle the much, much larger leather problem, we knew we would need a brave partner. We are grateful for the support of the Burberry Foundation and are truly excited to scale this solution, and magnify its impact. This is the kind of work we are made for and this is the kind of partnership that will change the future of luxury.”

In addition to creating new leather products, the partnership will also generate apprenticeship and work experience opportunities with Elvis & Kresse and reach thousands of people through public events, competitions and workshops.